Zurich fest to honor Polanski

Director to receive award, retrospective

BERLIN — Roman Polanski will be feted at next month’s Zurich Film Festival with a lifetime achievement award and a retrospective of his work.

The fest is presenting the Polish-born helmer with the Golden Eye for his contribution to film as part of its “A Tribute to…” series honoring filmmakers.

The retrospective will include 1962’s “Knife in the Water,” the director’s cinematic debut, “The Fearless Vampire Killers,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Chinatown,” “Frantic,” “Death and the Maiden” and “The Pianist,” which won Polanski the best director Oscar in 2003.

The Paris-based Polanski will attend the event to accept the honor on Sept. 27 and also take part in a workshop discussing his work, prior to the award ceremony.

The fest’s previous “A Tribute to…” guests of honor have included Constantin Costa-Gavras in 2008, Oliver Stone and Stephen Frears in 2006.

Polanski was a prominent topic in Zurich last year, when the fest screened Marina Zenovich’s film “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” in its Documentary Film Competition section.

The director is finishing his adaptation of Robert Harris’ political thriller “The Ghost,” starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams and Kim Cattrall, which is set to hit screens in 2010.